FIA Formula E Championship - Punta del Este

On the third round of the inaugural FIA Formula E championship, held at Punta del Este, Uruguay,we saw former F1 racer who represents the e.dams racing team, Sebastien Buemi snagged his first win of the season after managing to fend off against two Brazilian racers, one is China Racing's Nelson Piquet Jr. and the other is Lucas di Grassi from Audi Sport ABT.

Here are the highlights from last weekend's ePrix:



The next race will be at Buenos Aires this 10th of January, 2015.

Toyota MIRAI (JPD10)

The year 2014 brought us one of the most important cars in history since when it first made and here it is. Meet the MIRAI. The Toyota MIRAI to be more exact and it's probably just another four-door Toyota but don't be alarmed.

2015 Toyota MIRAI

Judging by the way it looks, the MIRAI kinda really looks like an ordinary car and it's like driving a Toyota for normality reasons. Although this is a normal car, the MIRAI, true to its name, proves that the future is now thanks to science, and thanks to science, the MIRAI is the brand's first hydrogen fuel cell vehicle.

In the past, carmakers like Honda and BMW first introduced fuel-cell vehicles but their FCVs were only available for lease. For the MIRAI, this is the first-ever FCV to be available for sale to the motoring public. They can purchase one now at their nearest Toyota or Toyopet showrooms all over Japan but the pricing starts at 7,236,000 Japanese Yen. However, first-time buyers won't need to worry because the Japanese government will subsidize 2,252,900 Yen so it's now priced at 4,983,100 Yen or under $50,000.

2015 Toyota MIRAI interior

2015 Toyota MIRAI interior

Get ready because it's going to be one heck of a science lesson right about how the MIRAI works as an FCV for the selected masses.

Because hydrogen is highly flammable, the MIRAI stores its hydrogen in two hydrogen tanks made of CFRP and a fiberglass-reinforced plastic layer for the outer shell. These two hydrogen tanks can store a combined 122.4L of fuel or 5kg of hydrogen. It's capable of doing 650km of driving range. That sounds plenty although actual driving mileage can vary.

The hydrogen fuel that powers the MIRAI is measured in kilograms and one kilogram of hydrogen costs 1,100 Yen and filling up takes three minutes or so. Although hydrogen has the same price as petrol, it will never run out because hydrogen is one of the most abundant chemical substances in the universe.

Mind you, if you're going to refuel it with hydrogen at your nearest hydrogen-filling station, it's just like filling your car with petrol and the only difference is because this is under pressure and you'll have to lock it with the lever. This is important stuff because if you don't, you'll be spilling hydrogen on the floor. Yes, we heard that lecture from someone but take serious precautions because you might think that hydrogen really is water but not all hydrogens are created equal.

Unlike petrol-powered cars that emit smoke for some reasons, the only emission from the Toyota MIRAI is water but some say, it's safer than drinking milk so...who wouldn't dare to drink water out of it but for the love of all things holy, don't. I wouldn't mind drinking water out from that car because...it's like tap water to us so I'm not very sure if it's safe to drink one out from the MIRAI's emission.

2015 Toyota MIRAI

Performance-wise, the MIRAI is not bad for a family car with four doors and four seats. I mean, this saloon develops 155PS of power, which is more than what you get from the lease-only Honda FCX Clarity, and its top speed is about 175kph so it's not half bad. Although I'm not going to pretend that it's a lot more fun to drive than any other petrol-powered saloon but it feels like a sports saloon as I corner one through the bends.

The MIRAI may be an awful car to look at but as one suggests, it's the clever car that will save your weekend cars, much like when the car is invented to save the horses. That's logical stuff because when horses got rode by humans, they're starting to feel the exhaustion and the pain but when the car came in, they're free to do whatever they want. The same thing happens with petrol-powered cars and with this fuel-cell car, looks like those amazing gas-guzzlers will have their lives prolonged for a while.

I believe that the new Toyota MIRAI is now one of the most important cars for a centennial and it really fits to the lifestyle we're facing now. Think about it, we have lots of memories going around with our own cars. We get in, drove it as far as we like, we fill it with petrol, and we kept going and going. That is the cycle of what a petrol-powered car does but when others are looking for a replacement, say electricity, it feels like we're reverting back to the stone age once again.

With this car, today's going to be a great day thanks to science.

Available colors: Two-Tone Pure Blue Metallic, Two-Tone White Pearl Crystal Shine, Two-Tone Precious Silver, Two-Tone Precious Black Pearl, Two-Tone Dark Red Mica Metallic, Two-Tone Dark Blue Mica.

Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (December 15, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The Olongapo City Prosecutor's Office charged US Marine Private First Class Scott Joseph Pemberton for murder of a Filipino transgender Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude. A 23-page resolution of the preliminary investigation, as confirmed by City Prosecutor Emile delos Santos, recommended murder raps against this US soldier. Although premature, the city prosecutor said there were "aggravating qualifying circumstances" to charge Pemberton.

- On the Japanese general elections, the Liberal Democratic Party led by PM Shinzo Abe and its coalition partner, Komeito, scored 326 seats out of 475 in the Lower House. That's one more than they won in the last election two years ago. This win will allow the re-enactment of bills rejected by the Upper House.

- There was a hostage drama occurred at the Lindt cafe in the Australian capital city Sydney. Five people have escaped the building although no one knows how many are in that cafe but reports told, there was a black Islamic flag displayed at the window. The flag in question is similar to the one used by jihadist groups but it's different from the one used by the ISIS in the Middle East.

- The last protest site located at Hong Kong's Causeway Bay has been cleared by the police. They managed to arrested some of the demonstrators upon clearing the last remaining pro-democracy protest site. With all of the protest sites removed, Hong Kong leader CY Leung declared an end to the "illegal occupation activities".

- The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police conducted a surprise inspection in the New Bilibid Prisons as part of their crackdown against illegal activities inside the prison cells and other parts of this maximum security area.

- A few days ago, there was a scandal occurred from Korean Air about the daughter of the company's chairman who stopped a flight to sack one of the airline staff after serving her a bag of macadamia nuts. That name of that particular person is Cho Hyun-ah, the head of cabin service and the oldest child of Korean Air chairman Cho Yang-ho. That "nut rage" made a disgrace not just for her family nor the company but the entire nation of South Korea so she resigned from her executive roles amid violent reactions about her tantrum.

Despite the "macadamia" scandal in Korean Air, sales of macadamia nuts in South Korea have been skyrocketing. It's like this whole scandal occurred was a blessing for these macadamias sold in South Korean stores.

- This week's Jay Leno's Garage highlights the Ronin RS 211, a tuned Lotus with 680HP of power output coming from its 1.8L engine and heavily inspired from the track-focused 2-Eleven.



- The latest update from the Real Racing 3 app game features Scuderia Ferrari's racing machine from the past and the present such as the 1950 375 F1, the 1995 412 T2, and the 2014 F14-T. Three generations, three challenges. Also, the Monza racetrack has been added for this update. So go ahead, check out the latest RR3 update by yourself and experience the speed these three machines has to offer.

- Long John Silver's, one of America's biggest seafood restaurant, lands in the Philippines for the first time at the SM City Manila Ground Floor.

- Here's your first look at the upcoming Terminator: Genisys trailer, which will hit theaters this Summer 2015. Continuing where Salvation left off, John Connor, leader of the human resistance, continues the war against machines but there's a bigger threat coming on him as SkyNet will attack him on both fronts; past and future. This film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Lee Byung-Hun, and Matt Smith.



TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (December 14, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Over 20 people died and 88 people missing in the Indonesian landslide.

- The Malacanang mulls declaring non-working holidays next month in an event Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines from Jan. 15 to 19. Philippine Airlines, meanwhile, will close flights to Tacloban on Jan. 17 for the Pope's visit.

- Haitian PM Laurent Lamothe announced his resignation along with several ministers in the midst of violent protests against the Haitian government.

- Meanwhile in the USA, tens of thousands of people are protesting against the killings of black people by white police officers. About 25,000 demonstrators gathered at the nation's capital and marched through Capitol Hill.

- The Japanese general elections are underway and citizens are casting their votes. So far, voter turnout is lower than the previous election held two years ago.

- Four separate Taliban attacks in 2 days killed 21 people in Afghanistan, sparking concerns about the nation's lack of security before most foreign troops withdraw.

- The second-generation Audi Q7 has been revealed and the new model lost 325kg of weight. It's set for its 2015 NAIAS debut next month.

2016 Audi Q7

- The new Audi RS3 Sportback is here and it's now the most powerful hot hatch in the market thanks to its 2.5 TFSi engine developing 362HP of power, more than the Mercedes-AMG A45!

2016 Audi RS3 Sportback

- All 918 units of the Porsche 918 Spyder hybrid supercar have already been sold.

TTFN!!!

Gran Turismo 6: The BMW M4 M Performance Edition

This is the BMW M4 except for one thing, it isn't. Of course, it kinda looks like an M4 but by the looks of it, it's becoming more of a safety car of some sorts. What this is is called the BMW M4 Performance Edition, and this special kind of M4 is playable in the world of Gran Turismo 6 via the current update.



Appeared at the 2014 SEMA Show and made for Gran Turismo fans, this Gran Turismo-original M4 is designed to recreate the image of safety cars used in certain motorsports. Underneath, it's still the BMW M4 we know. It still comes with the 3.0L BMW TwinPower Turbo 6-cylinder engine developing 425HP of power and 405.9ft-lb of torque and it's mated with the 7-speed DCT gearbox.



I know it behaves like a normal M4 judging by its disappointed noise and its power steering issues but what's so cool about this special M4 is the optional lighting to the roof and you can buy this accessory for the M4 Performance Edition at the Custom Parts section on the My Home screen.

When they see one from behind, it feels like they're being pursued by a pace car for no reason and this special M4 with the lighting accessory on the roof really turns the hunters into the hunted and the hunted becomes the hunter on the road and on the track. Try not to mess with this one cause this one's coming at your six.



I decided to try the M4 M Performance Edition on the Suzuka Circuit, now with the 2014 update to replicate what's Suzuka Circuit looks like today. This 2014 update Suzuka Circuit features new replay angles, newly resurfaced west course, relocation of crashpads and guardrails, addition of circuit objects, and the revision of the final chicane. It supports time-of-day changes and with the guardrail at the Spoon Curve gone, getting through is now accessible to drivers.

Even with the new update, it still feels like the same Suzuka Circuit as we know it and this special kind of M4 enjoys warming up for the challenge I'm setting up for it. It looks like it's having a little free time in the real-world track over there.



Since this M4 M Performance Edition is a pace car made for the world of Gran Turismo, I decided to compare this one to another pace car made for the world of Gran Turismo and I think I got the answer.




This is the GRAN TURISMO SKYLINE GT-R Pace Car. It's based on the R34 Skyline GT-R, this Gran Turismo-original machine features a unique livery that you won't find anywhere else a long time ago and a bright rotating emergency lights on the roof that makes opponents think they're being pursued by this car. It still features the same RB26DETT engine as the R34 model producing 276HP of power and 289.3ft-lb of torque and it features Nissan's legendary 4WD drivetrain.

Even if it's a pace car, it feels like an R34 GT-R, which is still a favorite among speedo boys everywhere. The 4WD system really feels like it's sticking to the road and as a track-proven machine that lapped round the Nurburgring quicker than the R33, it's pretty impressive as well.

After one lap, the GRAN TURISMO SKYLINE GT-R Pace Car set a lap time of 2:29.148.



The M4 M Performance Edition maybe rear-wheel drive but it's lighter and more powerful than the GT-R Pace Car but is it any better? Although it has a big advantage against the GT-R Pace Car, its tendency to oversteer is one too many, spoiling your progress, but doing it well makes everything better and approaching to the finish line is as smooth as a baby's buttock.

And the time...2:22.214! In the end, it's official. This BMW M4 M Performance Edition makes it a perfect pace car even without the emergency lights on the top.



Uh oh...Looks like someone's busted. Well, I'd better get going now before I'll get noticed by these two. He he he...

Subaru Stella (LA150F/LA160F)

2015 Subaru Stella Custom

2015 Subaru Stella

Coinciding with the launch of the brand new Daihatsu Move, it seems that Subaru is following suit as well as they borrowed their recently-launched Daihatsu Move for their new Stella kei car and here it is now.

The new Stella, which is a Daihatsu Move borrowed by Subaru, features a more rigid body work, more technological features, and a more fuel-efficient engine that is almost a top-of-class for this magnitude. Like the new Move, the brand-new Stella, in normal and Custom variants, is now 10mm higher than the previous model while retaining its 3,395mm in length, 1,475mm of width, and 2,455mm of wheelbase.

Like the new Daihatsu Move, the new Subaru Stella features a lightweight high-rigidity body structure, which features a more high-rigid body structure and an reinforced underbody, improved suspension system, and a power mode-switching steering switch that allows drivers to change the control of the engine and CVT at the touch of a button.

2015 Subaru Stella interior

2015 Subaru Stella Custom interior

The new models come with the updated version of their KF-VE 660cc 3-cylinder DOHC engine which has an improved fuel economy of 31.0km/L while turbocharged models (Custom only) can get up to 27.4km/L. Yes. This is the same thing you'd expect from the recently-launched Daihatsu Move and with those numbers, it's maybe more than the Mitsubishi eK Wagon rival but a little less than its chief rival, the Suzuki Wagon R with S-ENE-CHARGE.

Lastly for now, the new Stella, like the new Move (yes, you get the idea), features an updated Smart Assist feature (as an optional extra) where, for the first time, not only it detects forward objects but also objects from behind and triggers a beeping noise that you're approaching to a near-collision situation and brings this car to an automatic halt.

The new Subaru Stella starts at 1,134,000 Japanese Yen while the Custom version starts at 1,404,000 Yen.

Photo: Fuji Heavy Industries

Daihatsu Move - Sixth Generation (LA150/LA160)

Just before the Daihatsu Move reaches its 20th birthday next year, it has been given its much-awaited regeneration and for this sixth-generation model, the brand new Daihatsu Move features a brand new chassis as well as host of fuel-efficient and safety features that will keep them afloat for a few years before Japan has no room for their home-grown kei cars anymore.

2015 Daihatsu Move

2015 Daihatsu Move Custom

Like as always, the new Move features two different styles that suits your taste. There's the normal model if you're a bit budget-focused and there's the Custom model for those who think that style is what suits this kei car best. Whichever Move you'll choose, you'll be taking advantage of its improved chassis, improved fuel-economy, and some technological features that will enjoy you to bits.

2015 Daihatsu Move Custom

2015 Daihatsu Move

Even though it's a brand-new model, the dimensions are somewhat similar to the previous model. It's still 3,395mm in length, 1,475mm of width, and 2,455mm of wheelbase but the new model's height is somewhat 10mm higher than the previous model.

Behind the new look lies the lightweight high-rigidity body structure called "D monocoque" which features a more high-rigid body structure and an reinforced underbody, improved suspension system called "D suspension" and a power mode-switching steering switch that allows drivers to change the control of the engine and CVT at the touch of a button called "D assist". Those new improvements sounds fine but for the former's 810-890kg weight, it's now bumped to 820-900kg. Although the added weight sounds more of a smaller penalty for the new model, it still acts well for a city car and its minimum turning radius is maintained to the previous model's 4.4m. Not bad.

They still come with the same 660cc 3-cylinder engine as always but thanks to those upgrades inside and out, fuel consumption is now up to 31.0km/L while turbocharged models (Custom only) can get up to 27.4km/L. That maybe more than the Mitsubishi eK Wagon rival but a little less than its chief rival, the Suzuki Wagon R with S-ENE-CHARGE. It seems odd why Daihatsu's not fighting back in the fuel consumption stakes against Suzuki. Well, in the game of the two kei car makers, looks like Daihatsu really admits that they're not going to fight against Suzuki in the fuel economy stakes but they're doing it for quality or so they thought. Hmmm...

2015 Daihatsu Move interior

2015 Daihatsu Move Custom interior

As for quality-wise, the interior isn't half-bad compared to what its Wagon R rival looks like and it's spacious as well. The rear seats can be moved forward or backward and they can be folded to accommodate wide range of luggage space. It even has a secret compartment at the rear boot where you can store things in secrecy. That's another good stuff for this new model.

For the sake of technology, the new Move also has an updated Smart Assist feature where, for the first time, not only it detects forward objects but also objects from behind and triggers a beeping noise that you're approaching to a near-collision situation and brings this car to an automatic halt. Looks like this kei car never get even smarter than this.

The new Move starts from 1,134,000 Yen (around $11,400) for the base model while the Custom model stats at 1,404,000 Yen (around $14,100). Although not quite as affordable as the rivals but this kei car is heavily focused on quality you can trust and with a few more extras, the new Move knows that the future really is now thanks to science. Yes. You get the idea.

Photo: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd.